This book is an enjoyably written retelling of the major Greek and Roman myths, with a brief introduction to Norse mythology tacked on to the end. A lot of the shorter stories left me wanting more, but that might have been the point.Īs an unexpected bonus, there’s an extra chapter about Norse mythology at the end of the book, with an insightful introduction addressing the ancient Norse mindset and how it would have intersected with the introduction of the Christian gospel. Hamilton’s writing style is concise and clear, tho she isn’t opposed to an occasional editorial comment or aside on a particular matter. She also includes several family trees in the book’s appendices to help connect all the confusing dots. It’s very clear that she is intimately familiar with all these ancient writers and is not afraid to give her opinion as to their writing styles or abilities.
Hamilton drew upon for which stories and why. There are also introductions to many of the chapters to explain which sources Ms. There’s an index in the back for when you just need to remember what the names of the 9 muses are or what Clytemnestra was famous for. This is so much better than most other mythology books I’ve come across that just deal with the gods and goddesses and call it good. A brief retelling of major and minor myths, epic poems, plays, etc. The book isn't helped by Garland's illustrations, which are dark and childish.What a great book.
Usually, a good book of legends will transport me this one mostly left me bored. It's just of people with funny Greek names making vague references to their part in timeless lore. Whether you happen to be Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides or any other Greek, or even you or me, every myth is yours to tell and interpret any way you like.Īmong the problems, however, is that all of his characters sound the same - they all have pretty much the same narrative voice, use the same slang, employ the same snarky sarcasm in their dialogue - and he didn't convey any of the stories' richness or wonder. There is no standardized version of any myth. Greek mythology isn't the equivalent of the Bible or the Qur'an. As he notes on the back cover of the book: Garland makes much of the fact - and he's absolutely right - that there's a lot of room for interpretation in the genre. I debated whether to resist him, but in the end, what the heck, I thought, and let nature takes its course." When she wakes in Cupid's palace to the god's touch in the darkness, she says: "Though I couldn't see my companion, I guessed right away that he must be a god.
#ODYSSEUS IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY BY EDITH HAMILTON SKIN#
I have golden ringlets, pearly white teeth, breasts like ripe melons, skin the colour of ivory, a tinkling laugh, and hips that rotate wildly. It's not my fault if I'm drop dead gorgeous. Later, we meet Psyche, who is married to the god Cupid without knowing who he is. Let's meet outside the city at Ninus' tomb and have some fun." That hardly sounds like the seeds that inspired Shakespeare to write Romeo & Juliet. For example, when Aphrodite relates the tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe, she expresses Pyramus's frustration with their separation thusly: "This sucks. They speak like someone you'd meet in a bar. Garland doesn't try to create an air of magic or mystery around his characters. The other also is cockeyed Odysseus, for instance, tells us about his 10-year journey home from Troy before we read anything about the Trojan War itself. In many cases, the details are sparse to nonexistent I'm not sure someone who isn't already familiar with the stories will come away with an understanding of them. Garland's gimmick here is to give various gods and heroes a few pages each to tell their stories "in their own words." In about 200 pages, readers hear from Gaia, Zeus, Artemis, Orion, Apollo, Hermes, Perseus, Bellerophon, Pan, Dionysus, Ariadne, Persephone, Heracles, Prometheus, Jason, Atalanta, Orestes, Oedipus, Ismene, Polyphemus, Odysseus, Nausikaa, Odysseus (again), Penelope, Telemachus, Eurycleia, Neoptolemus, Achilles, Thetis, Hera, Antilochus, Achilles, Priam, Cassandra, Aphrodite, Psyche, Helen and Plato.Įach gets from two to a dozen or so pages to relate their place in mythology. Well, that's going to depend on the person reading it, I guess. His interpretation of the stories is different, no question about it. It's been a while since I've revisited the myths, so I was eager to receive a review copy of Greek Mythology: Gods & Heroes Brought to Life by Robert Garland. Over the next few years I devoured many different versions of the tales, from Homer, Virgil and Ovid to Robert Graves and Bullfinch. I have loved Greek and Roman myths since I was a child, when I discovered a copy of Edith Hamilton's Mythology among my father's books. Greek Mythology: Gods & Heroes Brought to Life
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